http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/1416/6904/Vile.html
Guitarist Colin Davis of the Californian brutal death metallers Vile has issued the following update:
"I think that it's time that we all take a good look at what death metal is all about. What is our attraction to this type of music, why do we have it and what influence does it have on us and others?
"Of course, I can only speak for myself, but I think that some of my reasons will resonate with others. For one, I am attracted to the musicianship but also I am attracted to the fact that what we do is rebellious. It's not paid much attention to by the mainstream.
"Why does that matter to me? Well, since I was young I have always felt that there is something wrong with the way people follow what is popular. So in turn, I rebelled against that and devoted my time to something that was shunned. It's a way of expressing personal freedom in a world that is increasingly becoming less able to think and act individually.
"But honestly, I have never been attracted to the gory, bloody aspect of death metal's subject matter. Some of us in this band were indeed attracted to that and Vile has had this included into its personality as a band.
"But I have to tell you that now that those people are not in this band, it's not going to continue on that way. I cannot say exactly how Vile will evolve, but I can tell you that it will not focus on death anymore.
"Looking at the [MySpace] profiles for many of the friends of this band, I often wonder why they are so attracted to this dark aspect of the psyche. I wonder what it is that makes them want to have pictures of decapitated people and disembowelments, etc. on their personal profiles. Is this a reflection of part of themselves or is this a reflection of the society that is forming around us? Maybe both?
"Honestly, 99 percent of us would be permanently scarred for life if we were to encounter these gory scenes in our normal life. Are we using these images and words to try to invoke some kind of inner feeling, something that makes us feel alive in a world that is trying to kill our souls on a daily basis? It's worth thinking about.
"I want to tell all of you that your thoughts are energy. They are energy that actually manifest into reality. There are people on this planet that feed on death and negative energy. They are sitting in the corridors of power and at the tops of power hierarchies. For thousands of years, these occultists have fomented wars for money, power and to feed their insatiable appetite for negativity.
"Despite what we have been taught by the liars, humans do not have to act like animals. That can be trained and bred to work together or to kill each other. It's a choice that is made by those in control and also by us, the sheep. They have made the choice to keep the negativity flowing and even to increase it to levels so high, that eventually we will beg for protection from them.
"When we understand how we are being controlled and brainwashed, then we can see that our thoughts, our intentions either help them or hurt them. Do we want to help a group that is committed to sacrificing our bodies, souls, and minds?
"If you don't understand the origins of what I am discussing here, it may sound confusing. But once you understand these concepts, then you have only one choice. Either continue to feed the negative field which in turn kill us, or reverse the process and help return humanity to being a sacred and divine manifestation on this planet. You are not an object, a consumer or an 'empty container,' as our leaders refer to us as. You are a divine hologram, a unique manifestation of the infinite creative consciousness that some call God. You have the ability to make everything you think and feel come true. And you can either learn to use this for your own progress and the progress of mankind, or you can join the psychopaths and continue to feed the beast. Yes, you are a rebel, you always have been and always will be. But why prove it in a way that only helps destroy us all? Being a rebel is something that is in our minds, not in the way we dress, the music we listen to or anything external.
"These days, do you really think you are being a rebel by worshipping death? Brutal death is now so common! A rebel in this day and age would actually worship love, and respect for others, don't you agree? Do you realize that the vast majority of humans live on pennies a day on dirt floors? That tens of thousands die needlessly everyday in a brutal way? Can you imagine your own brother or sister, mother or father dying by any of the brutal ways that we discuss in our death metal lyrics? Well, these are not just morbid fantasies, these are real. You can bet that each twisted description of death in our lyrics and pictures is actually happening hundreds of times every day to worthwhile and kind people. People that are just as worthy of a respectable and happy life as we are.
"In many places and for many people, the world is a nasty, nasty brutal place and we sit over here and fantasize about how death will manifest or how we might feel if we encountered one of these brutal killings in person. Will you take the time to actually analyze this for five minutes in silence or will you just go back to the distractions so that you don't have to think?
"Given that this is the world we live in, shouldn't we reconsider what it is we choose to carry in our psyches and what kinds of thoughts we put out into the world? There is a lot to say about how our thoughts manifest and how they feed the energies of this planet, but let's just say that what you put out, you get back. That's the universal law of attraction. That's what karma is based on.
"I don't know about you, but for me, I am not going to continue to keep feeding this beast and then expecting bliss on this planet or in my own personal experience. I am going to start putting out what I want to get back. I am responsible for my own happiness and I am also responsible for the sickness in this world and only when I take on that responsibility can I then learn what will change what I don't like and what will feed and manifest what I do want."
